Something shifted. You can feel it. You just can't name it yet.
Stand Tall & Own It is for women in the second half of life who are high-functioning on the outside and quietly disoriented on the inside. You built your life inside systems you trusted completely — until you realized you couldn't tell what was actually yours from what you'd just learned to navigate well.
Host Andrea Johnson doesn't offer formulas. She offers honest thinking, sharp observation, and the kind of conversation that makes you pull over and sit in your driveway.
You're listening to Intentional Optimist, the podcast for unconventional leaders, where you'll find inspiration, learn to discover and develop your own strengths, and hear from inspiring women just like you who are making a difference in their community. Who knows? You just might find yourself stepping up as the next unconventional leader right where you are. I'm your host, Andrea Johnson, the original intentional optimist. Welcome to episode 109. Hello there, my friend. My conversation with Karen Seitz, my guest from last week's episode, got me thinking: what's the difference between happiness and optimism, or intentional optimism, and can one exist without the other? And I came to the conclusion that, hang on, I'm getting ahead of myself. That's what we're gonna talk about today. By now you know that I'm going to start with some definitions. So, according to the dictionary, happiness is the state of being happy. Hmm, that's not super helpful. How about some synonyms like contentment, satisfaction, even cheeriness? And optimism is hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. So on first blush, optimism seems to be an attitude or mindset, and happiness is a state of being. Now Karen describes being happy as fulfilled, and that gels with the definition or the synonym of satisfaction, and I promise you, when I'm satisfied, I usually end up with a silly happy grin on my face. I'll bet you do too. So happiness, that state of being satisfied, fulfilled, and content, is something that you can achieve on a daily basis. Just ask Gretchen Rubin, who went on a year-long quest that she documented in her book, The Happiness Project, in which she researched various techniques and theories on increasing happiness and tried to become happier with their help. It's rather enlightening. And she maintains that she did and actually continues to become happier as a result. She's since followed up with her other books like Happier at Home and Better Than Before, in addition to a blog and podcast dedicated to teaching what she's learned. It's all good stuff. You should check her out. But how do you get to that state of happiness? You see, arriving at a place of satisfaction and fulfillment can be accomplished any number of ways, including just making the decision. There are books galore on how to, quote, find happiness, philosophies and religions that promise it, but ultimately it's something unique to each individual. Satisfaction, per se, is completely subjective, based on expectations, individual standards, personality types, and even adherence to cultural norms. So happiness for you might not look the same if I were to define it for me. It's the ultimate individual expression of who you are or want to be, which I just love. So I ask again, how do you get there? That's where optimism comes in, or for my purposes, intentional optimism. Now, unless you're brand spankin' new to this podcast, and of course, if you are, well, welcome. You've heard me say that we all live unique and different lives, and while what we do is different, intentional optimism is how we do what we do. It's the attitudes and mindsets that we employ and embody to live out our own goals and dreams with excellence. The attitude or mindset of optimism can be just as simple a decision to choose to see the future in a more hopeful light as it is to choose to be satisfied where you are, resulting in happiness. But that question still comes back up, doesn't it? How do you do that? Well, you might not be able to do it all at once. Trust me, I didn't, and if I'm honest, I still haven't. But now you see why I call it intentional optimism. I couldn't start right at hope, the first piece of optimistic, and work my way through all the nuances of the six tenants. No. For me, I think it probably started with courage. Just being willing to try something new, to get out of my own comfort zone and challenge my fears. And boy, did I have a bunch of those. The one thing I did have going for me though, was that the one tenet or attitude, maybe let's call it a trait, that comes the most naturally to me is being intentional. I may not have crossed the starting line fully understanding my purpose, but I knew it existed and was determined to find it. Along the way, I picked up resilience, developed an understanding of my desire to create and produce. I dove deeper into my sense of wonder and love of beauty. I learned wisdom the hard way, don't we all? Mostly through not using my words wisely and losing the respect of others before I could figure out how to turn around and head in the opposite direction. And I'm still learning in every area of every tenet. But working with the attitudes toward the mindsets is what keeps me moving forward in growth every single day. I didn't set out looking to create a personal growth philosophy or plan. I just wanted to be happy. The philosophy of intentional optimism is the result of several decades of working hard toward that coveted state, being happy. You see, happiness is a state of being, and optimism is a way of thinking. Can one exist without the other? I don't think so. I think we all need good guidelines to keep us on the path that will get us to our own happiness. And I also believe that when we're on that path, the hope and confidence, or optimism, gives us at least a taste of happiness, if not the satisfaction of knowing that we're at least headed there. See how they're intertwined? While the individual journey to happiness can be accomplished any number of ways, this is how it looks for me. I use the tenets of intentional optimism to inform and mold my attitudes, thinking patterns, and actions as the directions and signposts on my own road to happiness. The beauty of this process is that I experience satisfaction, fulfillment, and accomplishment, i.e. happiness, with every new discovery along the way. Each new habit formed, each new mindset shift, perspective change, limiting belief that I overcome, with every single tiny goal achieved comes fulfillment and satisfaction. Happiness. When some say the joy is in the journey, this is what they mean. This is good news for you, my friend. If you think that happiness is only something or some state that you might achieve somewhere in the future when certain circumstances fall into place, you'd be wrong. Happiness and optimism are inexplicably connected in such a way that they fuel each other. Hope and confidence in the future fuels your ability to be more satisfied and fulfilled in the present, to be happy with where you are and where you're going. Ultimately, practicing the attitudes and mindsets of intentional optimism will help you achieve your goals and dreams, piling on the satisfaction and fulfillment, happiness. Now, if you're not familiar with all six of the tenets of intentional optimism, I have a free resource for you, and I invite you to start employing the attitudes and mindsets in your life. There's a link in the show notes to get you on your way. My passion is to equip and empower you. This is my purpose. I love to work with the next generation of female leaders to help you learn to think critically, create imaginatively, and lead effectively in any situation, team, or organization. My hope is that the information that I bring you here on this podcast will inspire you to move forward and take action with confidence and strength to lead you on your own unique and beautiful way, i.e., towards happiness, both in your personal and your professional life. Well, where do you begin? Well, the other set of guidelines, I usually call them guardrails, for your journey, is understanding your own core values. I have a mini course that will help you with that right this very second. It's called Uncover Your Core Values and Live in Alignment with Your Own Non-Negotiables. This simple four-step process will provide your guidelines to live with full authenticity. Understanding your non-negotiabis is the first step to knowing who you are and where you're going. The link to the course is in the show notes, but it's also right at the very top of my website and it's on my main links page. It's everywhere. So give yourself the gift of clarity as you determine where you want to go and who you want to be. Now, before you go, scroll down, hit the five-star button, and comment with your biggest takeaway from this episode. Are you searching for happiness or are you willing to actually discover it along the way? Then click on the link in the show notes and get started on your core values and using the attitudes and mindsets of intentional optimism. Take that first next best step to get you on the road to personal and professional success and fulfillment. Happiness. Until next time. Oh, good, you're still here. Because I have one more invitation for you. My newsletter, Optimistic Living, is full of good stuff, delivered straight to your inbox. So for weekly encouragement, tips, and even some special offers, hop over to my website and sign up. Because unconventional leaders meet at every level in any area using their unique gifts. And you, my friend, are a leader. You are the future of leadership and the role models for future generations.
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